England opened their Women’s World Cup campaign in dominant fashion, thrashing South Africa by 10 wickets at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Friday. The contest ended well before the scheduled innings break as South Africa were bundled out for just 69, their third-lowest total in Women’s ODIs, before England chased down the target in 14.1 overs. Linsey Smith, playing her first World Cup, starred with the ball, returning with figures of 3 for 7. She removed captain Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, and Marizanne Kapp in quick succession to break South Africa’s top order.
Nat Sciver-Brunt (2/5), Sophie Ecclestone (2/19) and Charlie Dean (2/14) added to the damage, leaving the Proteas reeling at 19 for 4 and eventually dismissed in 20.4 overs. Only wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta showed resistance with 22 off 36 balls, but she found no support at the other end. Nine South African batters were dismissed for single-digit scores as England’s bowlers exploited movement with the new ball. England’s chase was straightforward. Tammy Beaumont (21*) and Amy Jones (40*) adopted a cautious start before opening up, putting away the loose deliveries. They overhauled the target with 215 balls to spare, which is also the fourth-most balls remaining in a successful ODI chase for England Women. England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt praised her side’s all-round performance, saying, “Yeah, massively pleased. It just seemed like everyone was really on it in the field. We had a few first-ball wickets as well, so yeah, it all clicked into action for us.” She also lauded Smith’s impact, adding, “She just stuck to her strengths… we knew she was a really good match-up to those two batters.” South African captain Laura Wolvaardt admitted her side fell short. “Not our best work with the bat, but in saying that, I don’t think we’ve become a bad batting unit overnight,” she said. “We probably didn’t expect that much swing… we probably could have played straighter lines.”
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This was England’s first-ever 10-wicket win over South Africa in ODIs, and their third such win in World Cups overall. They now hold a 7-2 World Cup record against the Proteas, showing the massive upper hand in the rivalry. With this emphatic result, England have announced themselves strongly in the tournament, while South Africa will look to regroup quickly for their next fixture against New Zealand on October 6.
